Time Well Spent!

Congratulations on completing this course everyone! OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO!
The three deeply felt learnings from the past 8 weeks of this program is learning and knowing as an early childhood professional and leader within the field I have a voice and my voice along with others in this community of practice of early childhood together can create change for all children. I also learned that I am not alone. I have established connections through our global community of early childhood professionals that I can contact in the event I have questions, need advice and/or resources. Last but not least, I learned to get out my comfort zone as a leader in the field of early childhood and step to challenges which can be uncomfortable such as creating opportunities to “make quality education accessible to PREK3 and PREK in San Antonio”. I think going to Austin, TX (the capital) to the House of Representatives to speak out, and joining advocate groups or forming a community of practice is the direction I will start pursuing within the next couple of months.
One long term goal is remaining a life-long learner in the field of early childhood education. There is always something I can learn within this field that will keep me current in this profession.

I would like to thank Professor Johnna and all my classmates  for contributing your knowledge and sharing your experiences these past 8 weeks.

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The three international organizations that appeal to me is “Save the Children”, “United Nations Children’s Fund”, and “United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. The reason I chose all three organization is because their commitment with defending children rights, as well as their belief that every child deserves a chance a in having a bright future in education.
Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community:
Job #1
UNICEF Rabat Morocco
Vacancy Announcement – “Operations Associate GS6”
Skills and Experience needed:
• Education
Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
• Work Experience
A minimum of 6 years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required. Supervisory experience is a strong asset.
Familiarity with UNICEF, UN procedures and systems is an asset.
• Language Proficiency
Fluency in French & Arabic. Working English is a strong asset
Competencies of a Successful Candidate
i) Core Values (Required)
• Care/ Respect/ Integrity/ Trust/ Accountability

ii) Core Competencies (Required)
 Communication (II) Working with people (II) Drive for results (II)
iii) Functional Competencies (Required)
• Analyzing (II) Learning and Researching (II) Planning and organizing (II)
Following Instructions and Procedures (II)

Job #2
SAVE THE CHILDREN

Manager, Employee Engagement
The Manager, Employee Engagement will be responsible for managing employee engagement for our corporate partners, which includes a menu of existing and in-development employee engagement offerings. This person will be responsible for meeting a fundraising goal established by the department. This position will also lead in the development of new employee engagement offerings and packages to enable the Corporate Partnerships Team to maximize revenue and provide the level of service to our partners that they need and expect.
The overall goal of the Manager, Employee Engagement is best in class stewardship to increase revenue and generate new business by leading in the creation, promotion and implementation of employee engagement activities for current and prospective corporate partners who are led by others on the team.
Required Qualifications
• Minimum 3-5 years’ progressively responsible professional work experience in fundraising, project management, marketing, sales, media or advertising
• High School or Technical/Vocational Degree
• Background with not-profit organizations, with emphasis on client facing experience desirable
• Fluency in English is essential
• Extremely client focused with strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• Ability to work in a cross-cultural environment
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to work in ambiguous, highly matrixed environment
• Ability to problem-solve and drive projects through to completion
• Up to 15% travel may be required
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with volunteer facilitation and/or engagement programs
• Knowledge of customer relationship management databases or Blackbaud

Reference:
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLlXMGl4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=526999

https://recruiting.ultipro.com/SAV1002STCF/JobBoard/7d92e82b-af74-464d-859b-c5b8cba6e92e/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=c87f7cd8-c1b7-402a-812e-59c620da2c61

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

Texas Workforce Commission “is the state agency charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas” (Texas Workforce Commission, 2011). This state agency appeals to me because they are the leader when it comes to resources building a better workforce of early childhood professionals, as well as other career opportunities. One of the benefits of being a part of a quality rating school in Texas is receiving great professional development opportunities for teaching staff, as well as management. Texas Workforce Commission partners with local and statewide networks to provide workforce solutions to various local offices.

Texas Health and Human Services is the leader for making a difference in the lives of everyone that walks through their door for services. Their mission appeals to me because they strive to improve the health and safety and well-being of children because they help create and establish minimum standards rules and regulations that hold childcare facilities accountable to standards set forth of operating an early childhood program. They also strive towards helping the community and families by providing Medicaid, CHIP, and mental health. They are a great community of practice working in conjunction with the Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services to regulate childcare systems and operations.

Council of Professional Recognition is a nationally known credentialing agency for early childhood professionals that aspires to receive their CDA credential in the field of early childhood development. This organization appeals to me because in 2003 it created a pathway of learning and training opportunities in child development, as it relates to each age, which gave me confidence as a two-year-old teacher; 18 years ago.
Job Opportunities of interest:

The Founding Assistant Principal will:

• Plan and lead staff professional development sessions alongside other school leaders
• Serve as the primary point of contact with families regarding questions and concerns related to school-specific activities and incidents
• Oversee the implementation and safety of student arrival and dismissal systems daily.
• Oversee the coordination and implementation of all lunch, recess, and out-of-school time systems and vendors (as applicable) on a daily basis.
• Coordinate logistics, preparation, and planning for staff professional development
• Oversee the implementation of performance management systems for instructional staff
• Manage staff absences and support substitute systems
• Directly manage and coach teaching assistants, paraprofessionals, and onsite substitutes
• Oversee school-wide communication systems (newsletters, robo-calls, text blasts, translations, etc)
• Oversee logistics and planning for student-led conferences, project showcases, and art showcases
• Coordinate all school-wide testing
• Serve as the primary point of contact for staff and vendors regarding logistical questions
• Support the Director of Social-Emotional Learning in leading restorative conversations and circles with students, staff, and families
• Oversee the Cultural Events Committee which celebrates the cultures and traditions of our school community
• Plan and oversee implementation of all school-wide celebrations and spirit weeks
• Oversee and manage teacher submission systems (lesson plans, project plans, field trip requests, student info for conferences and showcases, etc)
• Serve as the acting principal of the school when co-leaders are offsite
• Oversee the successful execution of all after-school programming including third party vendors, out-of-school-time providers, tutoring, and clubs
Qualifications:
• Must hold a bachelor’s degree
• Have at least 2 years experience working in a school
• Experience coaching or managing others preferred
• Fluency in Spanish is appreciated but not required

TITLE: Community and Parent Liaison

EMPLOYMENT:
REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s preferred; strong marketing background
Preferably, have worked with diverse populations within the education field
BASIC FUNCTION: The Community and Parent Liaison will work to increase and improve parent/family and community awareness of Southwest Preparatory School and its programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES
AND DUTIES: Serve as a liaison between the school and the parent/families of the school.

Bring awareness to the community regarding the programs and accomplishments of the school.

Coordinate with business partners in the community to enhance the programs of the school.

Develop a school family involvement policy with input and approval from parents and teachers.

Help the school to develop a family-friendly school climate.

Attend school and community meetings.

Provide information to parents/families in order to improve home-school communication.

Provide consistent communication with the district’s Marketing team in regards to new community partners and ensure they are invited to school events.

Develop a mentorship program with community partners for students.

Communicates successfully with teachers, families, administrators, and students.

Attend meetings and in-service training as required.

SPECIAL
CONSIDERATIONS: Individuals applying for this position must have the ability to respond to demands of public, to communicate orally and in writing, and to respond to emergency demands.

Individual must have demonstrated the ability to organize and follow specific procedures to accomplish assigned tasks and able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and students.

Required to submit FBI fingerprinting and satisfactorily past a criminal background check.
Reference:

Texas Workforce Commission. (2011). Retrieved from: https://twc.texas.gov

Retrieved from: https://www.thegatheringplacek12.org/

Retrieved from: https://www.swprep.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1292309&type=d&pREC_ID=1499368

Exploring Roles in ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I must say a local organization and chapter of TAEYC that appeals to me and that I am a current member of is the San Antonio Association for the Education of Young Children (SAAEYC).  SAAEYC is “an organization of teachers and administrators working in child care centers, public schools, community groups, colleges and universities, as well as parents and others working to raise public awareness and understanding of the needs of young children and their families and remain abreast of current trends in early childhood” (https://saaeyc.wordpress.com/about/).  Being a part of this organization has afforded me the opportunity to receive professional development, network with others in the field of early childhood, receive mentorship during our school’s NAEYC Accreditation process and training for my teachers.

ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) is another organization that appeals to me because “it’s a statewide program with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission” (https://hhs.texas.gov/services/disability/early-childhood-intervention-services) that help families who children ages 0 to 3 who may have developmental delays and other learning disabilities.  In my current role as a provider I see numerous children benefiting from this service mainstream into a classroom environment with non-disable children and had much academic success.

The last local organization that I would like to mention is Family Service Association.  The organization is the leader in San Antonio when it comes to providing educational support, financial assistance and needed services to the families in our community.  This organization appeals to me because of their mission to strengthen families and the communities in our neighborhoods.  https://family-service.org/about-us/

Within the past 6 months I have seen two job opportunities that interest me that I applied to which was a Texas Rising Star Mentor at Alamo Workforce and as an Early Intervention Specialist the Center for Health Care Services.

Skills I would need for the Texas Rising Star Mentor’s position is…https://c2-gps-alamo-workforce.hiringthing.com/job/142538/wsa-texas-rising-star-trs-mentor?s=in

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in early childhood education, child development, special education, child psychology, educational psychology, elementary education, or family consumer science;
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with at least 18 credit hours in early childhood education, child development, special education, child psychology, educational psychology, elementary education, or family consumer science with at least 12 credit hours in child development; or
• Associate’s degree in early childhood education, child development, special education, child psychology, educational psychology, elementary education, or family consumer science with two years of experience as a director in an early childhood program, with preference given for required experience with a provider that is accredited or TRS certified.

Experience and demonstrated knowledge I would need for the Texas Rising Star Mentor’s position is…

• One year of full-time early childhood classroom experience in a child care, Early Head Start, Head Start, or prekindergarten through third grade school program.
• Best practices in early childhood education
• Understanding of early childhood evaluations, observations, and assessments for both teachers and children
• ITERS,  ECERS-R, FCERS, TBRS, CLASS, or other assessment tools.
• OTHER PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE:
• Understanding of TRS Certification Guidelines and the minimum standards of Texas child care licensing
• Bilingual (Eng.& Span.)
• Ability to relate to individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds
• Effectively manage multiple projects.
• Possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s license subject to an approved motor vehicle report and reliable transportation for travel within the service delivery area.
• Ability to develop and maintain professional working relationships with management, coworkers, workers from other programs as well as the public.

Skills I would need for the Early Childhood Specialist position is…https://chcsbc.hrmdirect.com/employment/view.php?req=1126099&jbsrc=1014&source=Indeed.com

• Be registered with ECI-HHSC state office as an EIS before September 1, 2011; or
• Hold a bachelor’s degree which includes a minimum of 18 hours of semester course credit relevant to early childhood intervention including 3 hours of semester course credit in early childhood development or early childhood special education; Must be able to be credentialed with ECI-HHSC;
  • Forty clock hours of continuing education in early childhood development or early childhood special education completed within 5 years prior to employment with ECI may substitute for 3 hours of semester course credit requirement in early childhood development or early childhood special education.
  • Coursework or previous training in early childhood development is required to ensure that an EIS understands the development of infants and toddlers because the provision of SST for which an EIS is solely responsible depends on significant knowledge of typical child development. Therefore, the content of the coursework or training must relate to the growth, development, and education of the young child and may include courses or training in:
    • Child growth and development;
    • Child psychology or child and adolescent psychology;
    • Children with special needs; or
    • Typical language development

Experience and demonstrated knowledge I would need for the Early Childhood Specialist’s position is…

• Bilingual (English/Spanish)

• Must maintain required credentials and mandatory training requirements to ensure compliance with all State regulations and CHCS policies
• Must maintain a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance coverage, be able to travel as needed, and be able to meet on a consistent basis the driving record requirements of the Company’s auto insurance carrier if you drive your vehicle during company business
• Must be able to meet the physical requirements to First Aid and Infant CPR training including lifting up to 12 lbs. and supporting up to 55 lbs.; bending, stooping and getting on and off the floor without assistance.
• Must have adequate mobility that requires frequent walking, standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching (vertical and horizontal), using fingers, hands, feet, legs and torso in various care.
• The employee must be able to regularly lift and/or move up to 40 pounds and occasionally must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• The employee must be able to occasionally transfer a baby or toddler from the family home floor to the couch; stroller or high chair and/or from the floor at the daycare to an infant or toddler seat or crib in the classroom.

References:

Retrieved from: https://saaeyc.wordpress.com/about/

Retrieved from: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/disability/early-childhood-intervention-services

Retrieved from: https://family-service.org/about-us/

Retrieved from: https://c2-gps-alamo-workforce.hiringthing.com/job/142538/wsa-texas-rising-star-trs-mentor?s=in

Retrieved from: https://chcsbc.hrmdirect.com/employment/view.php?req=1126099&jbsrc=1014&source=Indeed.com

 

 

A BIG THANK YOU!

 

As we move forward towards our journey completing “Communication and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field”, and starting our specializations courses I would like to take time to offer my sincere appreciation for the learning opportunities of sharing your insight and continuous support and feedback given from reading my blogs and discussion posts.  The completion of this course could not have been accomplished without the support of having an awesome professor who gave praise and criticism through constructive feedback. Thank Professor Parrish for asking questions that challenged my mind which caused me to deepen my understanding and further my knowledge surrounding the subject. It is with great comfort that I wish everyone well in this field. I am excited and anxious to hear about your future endeavors and would love to keep in touch as your colleague in the field of early childhood. Below is my contact information. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything!

Email: parkerllp@swbell.net or diector@krklibertyfield.com

Group Development/Team Building

I remember working for a previous employer in the Children & Youth Service Department as a Curriculum Manager. This organization was a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission responded to the needs of the children and youth in the San Antonio community. The Children & Youth Service Department was well known, as well as financially supported other programs within the organization. I worked for this employer for 4 years. I loved the job, but got laid off when the CEO decided to change the face of the company from children & youth services to mental health, veterans and military services disaster relief, and housing services. When I worked for the Children & Youth Department we had an awesome team. The Program Director, in which I reported to was great, he established weekly meetings with all his direct reports. In addition, the Program Director met with each direct report bi-weekly for task purposes, relationship building, and to identify weekly responsibilities towards the mission of the department. When I got the news that the Children & Youth department was closing I was devastated because we had a great team and an awesome leader who was the Program Director. Our Program Director definitely built trust within our team setting a great example as a leader. We had open communication within the team and as individuals. Whenever there was a group project we always had a meeting to identify roles and the execution of the project. There were occasions when we as individuals would disagree amongst the group on various directives given by our supervisor, but during this norming stage, “when group members move beyond their conflicts” (O’Hair, Weimann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015), the more we understood the vision of the project and the lives it would positively impact as a group we were able to move forward with the directives given by our Program Director.

In terms of adjourning, not only did the group project end, but the Children & Youth Department ended. I would think adjourning from my classmates and colleagues that I formed while working on my master’s degree will be hard because we have formed relationships and been supportive and provided feedback to one another’s coursework. My classmates have been a tremendous part of contributing to my growth as a student at Walden University. The adjourning stage is an essential part of teamwork because as a team, together we can reflect on “accomplishments and failures” (O’Hair, Weimann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015). This is the stage where we as a team or class have become very close and share the same purpose and vision to become professionals and experts in the field of early childhood and obtaining the goal of finishing our master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies with various specializations.

Reference:

O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

 

Got Conflict?

For this week’s blog assignment I would like to discuss a conflict that I had at work with my supervisor; who is the owner of the school. As school Director I have a responsibility of ensuring school policies and procedures are followed, as well as state standards. The conflict I had with her was when I heard her informing her friend who is a parent that she could bring outside food to school for her child, if her child did not like what was on the menu. After she spoke with the parent I was furious of course, but in respect of her being my supervisor I asked her if I could meet with her to share my concerns about her conversation with the parent. When we spoke I let her know that I understood she was the owner, but as Director of the school I have a responsibility to hold myself accountable, as well as others to school policies and state standards. I let her know that I disagreed with her conversation to the parent of allowing her child to bring outside food based on preference, but gently reminded her that it was not fair to the other children allowing someone to bring outside food based on preference and not allergy or dietary concerns. I also reminded her of the regulation in minimum standards, as well as our parent handbook that parents must bring a written notice by the physician stating any allergies or dietary concerns in order for that child to bring outside food.  She apologized and informed me she would correct the information that was communicated to the parent. I felt like this was a productive conflict, “conflict that is managed effectively” (O’Hair, Weimann, Mullin & Teven, 2015), but I often wonder if I had not heard the conversation the parent would have brought the outside food and would have been upset with me not allowing the outside food without a doctor’s note.

I could not suggest a compromise because policy can’t be compromise, based on what a child does not like, but some suggestions I gave my supervisor to give to the parent was taking a menu home and trying the foods on the menu and items she feel her child will not eat meet with our chef to understand how he prepares and cook the items.

This conflict happened 3 weeks ago, before I learned about nonviolent communication. My nonviolent communication came from me truly praying and asking God to give me the words to say without responding in a disrespectful manner and He did. I asked this of Him understanding my role as an employee and her role as the owner. I not aware of any strategies I could have used other than respecting her as a person, helping her understand my role and the importance of keeping our environment safe.

Classmates if you have any suggestions of how this conflict could have been handle I am open for suggestions.

Reference:

O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3^rd. ed). New York:Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Who Am I as a Communicator?

For this week’s blog assignment, in addition to evaluating myself I chose two people to evaluate my communication; my goddaughter and a colleague. When I evaluated myself in all three categories the first score in Communication Anxiety was 44(mild), the second score in Verbal Aggressive was 66(moderate), and the last category being Listening Styles was 28(action-oriented). When my goddaughter evaluated me in the first category Communication Anxiety the score was 40(mild), her second evaluation in the Verbal Aggressive category was 67(moderate), and her third evaluation of my communication skills in the area of Listening Styles the score was 24(action-oriented). When my colleague evaluated me in the first category Communication Anxiety I scored 35(mild), the second score in Verbal Aggressive evaluated by my colleague was 53(moderate), and the last category Listening Styles I scored 28(action-oriented). When I chose both people I thought I would select someone who I have a personal relationship with, in comparison to having a professional relationship.  Although the scoring for some categories was different, surprisingly both evaluations were similar to the scoring of my own. I shouldn’t be shocked if I know myself, but it’s funny to think people see me the same as I see myself. I think insights I gained this week was grasping a better understanding of the word “schemas”. I learned that our personal schemas are a part of the communication process that helps us understand the world around us.

Two other insights that I gained that I can share with others is the photo exercise help me understand that a perception of a person, place or thing can be right or wrong, but it’s just a perception until the “interaction appearance theory help people change their perceptions, the more they interact” (O’Hair, Weimann, Mullin & Teven, 2015). Another insight that I’m taking away from this week’s discussion is first impressions are almost impossible to reverse. It took me about 60 seconds to form an opinion about the lady in the photo and those opinions were based on her clothing, appearance, body language and mannerisms.  These insights can help me in both my personal and professional by understanding the importance building positive interactions with children and their families, acceptance of culture and diversity, as well as positive interactions in my personal relationships.

Reference:

O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

 

Communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures

Yes, after thinking about the various people I interface with on a daily basis, I can think of moments when my communication was different with people from different cultures. I work at an early learning program and one of the families I service is deaf; with American Sign Language being my first language, when I communicate to this family I notice myself giving less detail about a situation or matter than I would with someone who I can verbally communicate to. This also happens when I give school tours to someone who is Spanish barely speaking English. I do the same thing as with giving less detail, because I lack patience of explaining our school’s program to someone who I feel exhibits a language barrier.

I think to help me be more effective in my communication with the family who is deaf would be to “recognize my own patterns of nonverbal behavior” (Gonzalez-Mena, J., 2010). I was not aware of my nonverbal behaviors until now. I think another strategy would be to have someone present to interpret information being communicated to assist parents with meetings and last but not least, have printed material translated English on one side and, another language on the other side.

Reference:

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010b). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Looking at Non-Verbal Communication Across Cultures (pp80-81). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Blog Assignment

I recorded the entire episodes of a show called “Empire” months ago that I wanted to watch, but never got the opportunity because I was so busy. This week’s blog gave me the opportunity to watch an episode. From the episode I watched the characters in the show appeared to be family. As I watched with the sound off I observed a recap of the previous week’s scene showing people all dressed up in a living room talking. I’m not for sure what the occasion was, but everyone seemed very kind to each other. While everyone was talking to each other a little girl who appeared to be 4 years-old walked around the corner into the living room pointing a gun towards her. My first thought was, “oh my goodness this family is crazy?” By the appearance of this family and the way they showed kindness in this scene, no one would think this could happen. The non-verbal behaviors expressions from the people in the living room were panic and I saw one of the women crying. I observed everyone talking to the little girl trying with hope of taking the gun away. Then I saw a man who walked towards the little girl, talking as well as reaching out to take the gun away and was able to take the gun away, then I watched the little girl tell the man something then he gave her a hug.

Before I rewind to the beginning of the episode with the sound on, I wanted to find out a little bit about the show and my assumption was correct “Empire” is musical drama about a dysfunctional family. My assumption that the characters in the show were family was correct; however I did not initially see the little girl to know who she was as she entered into the living room. As I mentioned earlier, the appearance of this family attire and the casual communication towards and amongst each other would not lead me to think that there is something dysfunctional about this family.

Regarding my own experience I mentioned in the discussion response to Renuka. I received a “aha” moment when I read her discussion post when she talked about how the staff member judged her for feeding her son because he was two not know it was part of her culture to feed him. Renuka’s situation reminded me how I responded the other day when a family walked into the center inquiring about a tour for a 4 year-old. I couldn’t help but to notice that the child had a pacifier in her mouth. My first thought without saying it was “she is too big for that pacifier”, which in a sense was judging not knowing as I gave the tour without asking the parents had mentioned their daughter of having “pica”, which is an eating disorder that causes a person to eat of anything that does not relate to food (i.e. hair, crayons, dirt). The parents shared with me their reason for the giving their child the pacifier which was to avoid her placing things in her mouth. My initial perception towards the family changed from judging to understanding. I noticed my behavior and communication towards the parents was sympathetic as telling me about their child’s disability, compared to my prejudging non-verbal behavior as they walked in and seeing their child who looked normal with a pacifier.

Reference:

O’Hair, D., Weimann, M.m D.I., & Teven, J. (2015) Real Communication. (3rd.ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s